


Holding to the Notion (i just want to be wanted)

by CaliHart



Series: Winterhawk Week fics [2]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Attempted Non-Consensual Drug Use, Blind Date, Deaf Clint Barton, Food, Friendship, M/M, None of that is graphic, This is a happy fic I swear, Vomiting, attempted date rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-20 01:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20667302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliHart/pseuds/CaliHart
Summary: Bucky is more than done with getting set up on blind dates. When he gets accidentally rescued from a truly terrible one, he thinks he may have found a solution.





	Holding to the Notion (i just want to be wanted)

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of Winterhawk Week, prompts: Awful First Meeting, “Are you jealous?”, Holding Hands

Bucky stifled a sigh as he returned from the bathroom and found that his date had ordered him a fresh drink. He’d tried everything he could think of to politely get out of the horrible blind date without having someone call him with a fake emergency, and now Bucky was to the point he was just gonna have to man up and tell the guy he wasn’t interested. He skirted around a couple people who looked like they were playing keep away with a rather attractive scruffy blond, tossing something small between them and out of his reach. Bucky slid into his seat at the table across from his date and wrapped his hand around the glass. 

“Listen, Dave—”

“Come on guys, you’re not being fair, give it back!” A loud voice distracted him. 

“Alright, fine, catch!” 

Before Bucky could continue, something splashed into his drink, followed a second later by a large, calloused hand. The hand fished out the object and retreated, but not before Bucky saw the clear nail polish on that hand turn red where it had touched his drink. He narrowed his eyes. 

“Aw, hearing aid, no,” the scruffy blond said, cradling the item in both hands. He turned to the men who’d been tossing it. “You probably fried the battery, you assholes! Do you know how expensive these things are?”

“Ah get over it, Clint, it’s not like anyone here was interested in you anyway,” the men laughed. “You’re still going home alone tonight.” 

Bucky frowned. “No, he’s not,” he said, pushing himself to his feet and wrapping his hand around the blond’s huge bicep. “He’s going home with me.” The men stared in shock. 

“James?” Bucky’s date asked. 

Bucky turned to him with a fake smile. “Sorry, Dave, I don’t think it would’ve worked out between us. You’re just not my type.” 

Dave’s eyes flicked to the blond, Clint. “So that’s your type? Blonds?” he asked, incredulous and a little offended. 

“No, my type is people who don’t try to rape me.” Bucky turned back to Clint. “You need to grab anything before we leave?” he asked. 

“Just—my jacket, by the door,” Clint waved vaguely in the direction of the door, his eyes wide. Bucky nodded and towed him through the crowd, snagging a handful of napkins for his sodden hearing aid from the bar as they passed it. Within short order Bucky had collected their jackets and ushered Clint outside ahead of him into the cool night air. Bucky took a deep breath and let the tension out with it, and beside him Clint groaned. 

“You okay?” Bucky asked. 

“I don’t feel so good,” Clint mumbled, clutching his stomach with one hand. 

“You want me to call you a taxi?” 

Without much warning, Clint bent over and threw up in the street in front of them. Some of it got onto Bucky’s shoes, and he wrinkled his nose, taking a step back to be out of the mess. 

“Sorry,” Clint slurred. “I think I’m really drunk.”

“It’s fine,” Bucky said, resolving to take a shower as soon as possible. “But now I definitely think you should take a cab. And hey, if you’re going to Brooklyn, we can share it.” 

Clint slowly collapsed down onto his knees and waved at his jacket, still in Bucky’s hold. “Wallet’s in the left pocket,” he said. Bucky fumbled to pull it out without dropping either jacket and flipped it open to find his driver’s license. 

“You live in Bed-Stuy?” Bucky asked. Clint nodded, mumbling something too low to hear, and Bucky flagged down a cab, bundling Clint into it and climbing in after him. Bucky gave the driver Clint’s address and spent most of the ride watching the blond to see if he was going to be sick again. Thankfully he wasn’t, as he was half asleep with his face against the window for nearly the entire ride. He peeled it off with a groan when they arrived. Bucky paid the cabbie from his own wallet and ushered Clint onto the sidewalk and then into the apartment building in front of them. His license also listed his apartment, which was good because Clint didn’t seem up to answering many questions. 

Bucky got him all the way up to his place, dug in his jacket for the keys, and let them in. It was only once he had Clint settled on the couch that he paused. 

What was he doing? 

A guy unintentionally saved him from getting date raped and in return, he escorted the guy all the way home and paid for the cab fare? 

Bucky shook his head. He’d already overshot the inch for the mile, might as well finish it. 

He rifled through the kitchen until he found painkillers, which he set on the coffee table, followed by a glass of water. Then he took the trash can from the bathroom and set it on the floor next to the couch, where Clint had collapsed with his face in the cushions. He might not be super comfortable on the couch, but he had a loft bed, and Bucky didn’t want to risk taking him up those stairs. Bucky did go up to fetch him a pillow and blanket and briefly considered lying down just to roll in the sheets, because Clint’s bed smelled _good_, unlike the beer and bar smell he was currently wearing. 

Bucky tucked Clint in, made sure everything he needed was in reach, carefully extracted his other hearing aid and put it aside with the one still wrapped in napkins, and then hesitated. He stood there for a moment just watching Clint, who was peacefully sleeping. Bucky shook himself and told himself to stop being a creeper. He found a notepad and pen and wrote a note, then turned off the lights and left the apartment, making sure the door was locked behind him. Then, finally, Bucky headed home himself to sleep off the weird night he’d had, his mind swirling with thoughts of a blond stranger. 

~~

“Hey, so, Steve, if you try to set me up on a blind date again, I’m going to shoot you in the balls with your own service pistol,” Bucky said casually the next morning. He could practically hear Steve’s wince over the phone. 

“That bad, huh?” 

“Worse,” Bucky said, taking a sip of his coffee. Bluetooth earpieces were an amazing invention; he’d hate to try juggling his coffee and his phone with only one hand. A woman on her way out held open the door to the VA for him, and Bucky nodded his thanks. “The guy laced my drink.” 

“He _what_?” Steve demanded. 

“Yeah. It’s sheer luck I didn’t drink it.” Bucky stood by the door to the meeting room as he finished off his coffee, not wanting to take it or the phone call into the room with him. He paused as a familiar scruffy blond shuffled past him and slumped into one of the chairs in the circle. “Look, I gotta go, the meeting’s about to start. But I’ll tell you about it later.” 

“That’s fine,” Steve growled. “I need to see a guy about a shiner.” 

“Don’t get yourself in trouble before you ship out,” Bucky warned, tossing his empty cup in the trash. Steve mumbled an agreement and ended the call. Bucky tucked his earpiece in his pocket and sat in the chair to Clint’s left. Clint glanced up at him and then frowned the sort of frown people used when trying to place a familiar face. 

“Thanks for saving my ass last night,” Bucky said quietly. 

Clint frowned harder. “You’re welcome…?”

Bucky nodded to Clint’s hands, which were clean although he still smelled faintly of acetone. “Your fingers ended up in my drink. Saved me from a bad date taking a worse turn.” 

Clint looked down at his hands and his eyes widened in realization. “_Your_ drink?” he asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“Man.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was so confused this morning how I got a whole hand red.” 

Bucky offered his own hand, which Clint shook without hesitation. “I’m Bucky. Nice to meet you, even if it could’ve been under better circumstances.” 

“Clint. You’re Bucky from the note then? You got me home last night.” 

“That’s me. Like I said, you saved me. Least I could do was make sure you got home safe and away from those asshole friends.” 

Clint wrinkled his nose and Bucky couldn’t help but think it was adorable. “They’re not really friends...more coworkers.” 

“I understand that.” Bucky saw Sam stand up and eye them from the front of the room. “Hey, you want to get lunch together after this? My treat,” he offered quietly. 

Clint’s eyes swept him from head to toe, checking him out, and then he smiled shyly and ducked his head. “I’d like that, thanks.” 

The warm feeling he got from that carried Bucky through the rest of the meeting. 

~~six months later~~

“I swear, Steve, I _told_ you what would happen if you tried to set me up on a blind date again,” Bucky said. 

“This isn’t like that, I swear,” Steve said hurriedly. “We’re just meeting Nat and her best friend for coffee.” 

Bucky sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, but you’re paying.” He dodged around some tourists who were too busy looking up to watch the foot traffic. “Tell me about this ‘best friend’, then.” 

“I’m sure you’ll like him, really. He’s blond, kinda tall, doesn’t shave all that often which I know you like. He’s great with animals, Nat says he has a dog and he used to ride horses a lot when he was younger. And they’ve been friends for years.” 

“Have you met this guy, Rogers?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because all you’re telling me is what he looks like and things Nat has told you.” 

“Not really?” Steve offered a sheepish grin. 

“If this guy turns out to be another asshole—” Bucky threatened, pointing at him. 

“Come on, he’s best friends with _Natasha_, he can’t be that bad,” Steve argued. 

Bucky waved his finger. “Okay, I’ll give you that. This guy better be some serious eye candy though, to make it worth my time. I’ve got plans this afternoon and I don’t want your matchmaking to make me late.” 

“It won’t, I promise,” Steve said eagerly. “By the way, his biceps are _huge_, almost bigger than mine. Nat says he does archery…” 

Bucky stopped listening as they approached the coffee shop. He could see Natasha through the window, sitting at a table with a _very_ familiar blond, and he had to smother a laugh. There was just _no way_. 

Of course it was Clint at the table with Nat. 

Bucky and Steve headed to the counter first, ordering their coffees and a large coffee cake muffin for Bucky. He made Steve carry the coffees and took the muffin on a plate, leading the way to the table. It was the one with the big armchair in the corner. Clint was taking up half the armchair and Bucky squished in next to him with a kiss to the cheek. 

“Hey babe, got you a muffin,” he said, drinking in Clint’s grin and the warm feeling it gave him. 

“Wait. You two already know each other?” Steve asked, standing next to Natasha’s chair, confusion writ all over both of their faces. 

“Yeah, we’ve met,” Clint said, eyeing the muffin as Bucky nudged the plate closer to him. 

“Good job, Steve. You’ve set me up with my own boyfriend.” Bucky smirked at his friend, cuddling closer. Clint obligingly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

Natasha pushed a chair out with her foot and Steve plopped into it, setting the coffees on the table. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend,” Steve accused. 

“You didn’t ask,” Bucky replied, reaching for his drink. Steve squirmed guiltily. Natasha’s face was calm and blank, but Bucky knew her well enough to read the guilt there too. She hadn’t asked Clint either. 

“How long have you two been together?” Natasha asked, on top of Steve’s “How did you two meet?” 

Clint, who had just taken a big bite of muffin, looked at Bucky. 

“He’s the guy who saved me from that last horrible blind date you set me up on,” Bucky said. 

“I was wasted,” Clint said with a small wince. “Bucky was nice enough to make sure I got home safe and had aspirin waiting when I woke up.” He sipped his coffee, continuing, “We met up at the VA the next morning and he took me to lunch. And it just...kinda happened.” They smiled at each other. 

“Wow,” Steve said, whistling low. 

“Are you jealous?” 

“No, I’m just...I’m really happy for you, Buck.” Steve smiled at him and Bucky squirmed back in Clint’s arms. 

“Well. Thanks, I guess.” Clint kissed the top of his head and Bucky let some of his tension bleed out. “Does this mean you’ll stop trying to set me up?” 

“Yeah, I think I’ve learned my lesson,” Steve said ruefully. 

“That goes for you too, Nat,” Clint said, pointing at her around Bucky. 

“Of course. I don’t think I could find a better match than you two,” she said with a smirk, sitting back. 

Clint sighed happily and nuzzled Bucky’s hair, reaching for the muffin. “No more horrible dates.” 

“Yeah, finally,” Bucky agreed. He let Clint feed him a bite of muffin and squirmed closer until he was sitting between Clint’s legs, leaning back against his chest. He let the conversation drift over him, cutting in with a comment here and there but mostly listening to Steve and Clint talk and get to know each other. He wanted his best friend and boyfriend to get along the way Bucky got along with Natasha, even if they bonded over different things, like time spent at the gym. 

Eventually they finished the coffees and muffin and left the shop, planning to go to Natasha’s apartment to continue to hang out. Bucky caught Clint’s hand as soon as he could, walking together behind Steve and Nat. 

“Hey. Think we can ditch them and go back to my place?”

“Only if you want Natasha to skin us both because she knows what we’d be doing,” Bucky replied. 

Clint chuckled and pulled him close, leaning in for a kiss. “Hey, by the way? I love you.” 

Buck’s breath caught and his eyes teared up. He shoved his face in Clint’s shoulder to hide it. Clint held him close and stroked a hand up and down his back. “I love you too,” he managed after a minute. Clint’s grin was beautiful and blinding as he leaned in for another kiss. 

“Come on, you two!” Steve called. “Hurry up!” 

Clint caught Bucky’s hand, tugging as he hurried to catch up to them. Bucky smiled as he thought that that was just the way he wanted it: the two of them, hand in hand, walking towards the rest of their lives. 


End file.
